This picturesque wedding at San Jose El Viejo is no photo shoot: it only looks that way because the bride and groom are both wedding photographers, and SMP junkies! Don’t worry, they didn’t attempt to photograph their own wedding. Davina + Daniel shot every antique lantern, glass globe, and sepia stained stucco wall with perfection as the couple married and partied among Spanish Colonial ruins. You simply must see the breathtaking sunset setting and the bride’s almond tinged Amsale gown in the full gallery!
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From the Bride… Lionel and I are wedding photographers, so naturally, an incredibly picturesque location was a high priority. We found our “holy grail” in Antigua, Guatemala – a Spanish colonial town filled with brightly painted buildings, cobblestone streets, remarkable ruins, and surrounded by volcanoes. 41 guests joined us for the charm, beauty, adventure, love and laughter that was our wedding week. My family is from California and Lionel’s is from Maryland. It was important to us that our loved ones connect and get to know each other. To that end, we organized “The Amazing Race: Antigua” and sent them to our favorite spots in town to complete tasks. They salsa danced, made chocolate bars, tasted strange ice cream flavors, learned a Spanish phrase and negotiated in the market. The race ended at our welcome reception where everyone bonded over stories of their adventures. It really set the tone for a fun-filled and relaxed time together. Over the remaining days, we enjoyed first class cuisine (truly!), a volcano hike, live Cuban music, lots of shopping and walking.
Our wedding ceremony, set in the garden of an old ruined convent, was both breathtaking and meaningful. Afterwards, guests rode a chicken bus (brightly painted school bus) to the ruins of an old church where we celebrated the night away. I am a big Style Me Pretty follower and a DIY girl, but I had to settle on just a few items to bring and a limited number of craft projects. It was difficult to hand over the reins to a local, but with a destination wedding, I knew I had to. I sent the decorator screenshots from Style Me Pretty to give him a sense of what I wanted — neutral colors (peach, gray, cream, tans, and browns), lots of wood, burlap, rustic elements, vintage items, a hand-crafted look that wasn’t too perfect or matchy. He was brilliant — I was blown away by the results! Everything was even better than I had imagined.
One of our most frequently asked questions was, “Who is going to photograph your wedding?!” We found Davina + Daniel on Style Me Pretty, and we are over the moon about our choice. Not only did they rock our portraits – extraordinary pieces of art! – but they also captured the most precious and outrageous moments in a way that brought us to tears and then had us laughing out loud. They managed to create the perfect blend of arty and meaningful imagery that takes us right back to our beautiful day and beyond. To top it off, our families adopted them, they provided invaluable advice and support, and they even completed one of my craft projects for me! Truly outstanding human beings. We could not have imagined or asked for more.
Wedding Photography: davina + daniel / Ceremony: El Convento de las Capuchinas in Antigua, Guatemala / Reception: San Jose El Viejo in Antigua, Guatemala / Floral Design + Decor: Mario Ayala of Escenica / Wedding Planning: Diana Sciarrillo of I Do, Guatemala / Catering: El Convento Boutique Hotel / Gelato Bar: Primo de Roma / Wedding Cake + Camera Cake Pops: Granny Gail / Wedding Dress: Amsale “Dahlia” via Hitched Salon / Bride’s Shoes: Matiko + DIY Ribbon / Bride’s Earrings: Kanupriya Jewelry via Sassanova / Bride’s Bracelet: DIY by Her Mother / Groom’s Custom Suit: Indochino / Groom’s Shoes: To Boot New York / Groom’s Tie: Wood Thumb / Antigua Accomodations: El Convento Boutique Hotel + Casa Capuchinas / Lake Atitlan (Post-Wedding) Accomodation: La Casa Colibri